Flourless Peanut Butter Muffins — These gluten-free peanut butter muffins are made in a blender and come together in mere minutes. You’d never guess that these mini muffins are gluten-free, dairy-free, refined sugar-free, and oil-free!
Gluten-Free Peanut Butter Chocolate Chip Muffins
I put peanut butter, banana, and honey in the blender, and my daughter asked what kind of smoothie I was making. None, I said. I’m making muffins. What???
This goes down as the easiest and fastest batter I’ve ever made. Ready in about 17 seconds with the flip of a switch.
I’m a big fan of whisk-together batters, and nearly every blondie, brownie, bar, quick bread, muffin, and cake on my site is made with a whisk. I reserve my stand mixer for cookie dough, bread dough, and frosting.
But this peanut butter muffin batter is even easier than using a whisk. Just combine one egg, banana, peanut butter, honey, vanilla, and baking soda in a blender and blend, before stirring in chocolate chips.
Did you notice what’s missing in the ingredients list? Flour. Gluten. The muffins are gluten-free, grain-free, soy-free, dairy-free, oil-free, refined sugar-free, and they clock in at under 100 calories each based on SparkPeople’s calculator.
If you’re willing to give up the chocolate chips, you can shave off 35% of the calories. But I like chocolate.
I have a few recipes for flourless peanut butter cookies, as well as other peanut butter cookies that are gluten-free or that don’t use white sugar, brown sugar, butter, salt, or oil. But I had never tried to pull of a flourless muffin until now, and I’m sold because these are some of the softest, moistest, and best peanut butter muffins I’ve ever had.
For all the health claims that can be made about the muffins, the best part is that they taste every bit as good as muffins made with flour, gluten, and lots of added sugar.
Because there’s no flour, I was a bit worried that these blender muffins would turn out like peanut butter fudge, since there was no flour to fluff them up and provide the normal amount of cakiness found in a muffin, but I was wrong.
The egg, pinch of baking soda, and banana did the trick to give them the springiness and bounciness you want in a muffin. When I was stacking them, the muffins on the bottom were like little trampolines, ready to absorb the weight and bounced back.
Warm and fresh from the oven, these little guys were incredibly good. Soft and a little squishy, supremely moist, and tons of bold peanut butter flavor, complemented by melty chocolate chips.
You may want to just double the recipe and make a double batch from the get go. Muffins freeze beautifully and you can keep a stash in the freezer to toss into lunches or for an easy snack when your peanut butter and chocolate cravings hit.
At under 100 calories, have a few.
Peanut Butter Muffins Ingredients
For these peanut butter chocolate chip muffins, you’ll need:
- Banana
- Egg
- Creamy peanut butter
- Honey
- Vanilla extract
- Baking soda
- Salt
- Mini chocolate chips
Bananas are versatile workhorses in baking, and the banana here helps to add lightness, fluffiness, and natural sweetness since there’s only 3 tablespoons honey used to sweeten the entire recipe. And for those who don’t like bananas, you’re very safe here and you can hardly taste it.
My daughter did detect the banana, but I have a feeling that’s because she had a hawkeye on the ingredients as they went into the blender.
How to Make Peanut Butter Muffins in a Blender
To make this gluten-free mini muffin recipe, simply add everything but the chocolate chips into the blender and blend until smooth. Stir in the chocolate chips by hand, and then spoon the batter into greased mini muffin tins.
I baked the muffins in my mini muffin pans and they only took 8 1/2 minutes to bake. I made 17 mini muffins, and filled the cavities to a solid 3/4 full. Don’t be surprised if they’re nicely domed in the oven, but fall a bit as they cool.
Let these peanut butter muffins cool for about 10 minutes before trying to take them from the muffin tins. These mini muffins are best fresh, but will keep for up to 5 days at room temperature.
Can I Make These as Regular-Sized Muffins?
I haven’t tested the recipe as full size muffins. You’ll probably yield about 8 or 9 and I’d start watching the clock closely at about 13 minutes and go from there, but I haven’t tried, and am purely guessing. After all, part of the appeal of this recipe is the mini size. Mini food is just so pop-able.
Can I Use an Egg Substitute in This Recipe?
I haven’t tried that myself, so I can’t say for sure if you can replace the egg with anything. If you try an egg replacement and it works, please leave me a comment down below so I can try it out myself!
Is There a Banana Substitute I Can Use?
I’m not sure! I’ve only ever made these peanut butter muffins as listed in the recipe card below, so I don’t know if you can substitute the banana for anything. You really can’t taste it though!
Can I Use Another Type of Nut Butter?
Possibly, yes. I personally recommend using peanut butter from a brand like Jif or Skippy. But if you have a peanut allergy, you may be able to use sun butter or almond butter. Just note that both are much thinner and runnier than peanut butter, and I don’t know if either will work.
Can I Use Muffin Liners Instead of Greasing the Pan?
I personally skip muffin liners (I’m too lazy to line all those mini muffin tins!), but I don’t see why you couldn’t use them for this recipe.
Can I Freeze Muffins?
Yes, these gluten-free peanut butter muffins freeze like a dream. To freeze these, first let them come to room temperature, then seal them inside a freezer bag. When you’re ready to enjoy them, either reheat them in the oven (set to a very low temperature), or simply place on your counter to thaw.
Tips for the Best Peanut Butter Muffins
I used store-bought peanut butter and always recommend baking with something like Jif or Skippy because natural and homemade peanut butter tends to be thinner, runnier, and can separate. If you try natural PB, I don’t know what the results will be.
I used mini chocolate chips because the size is perfectly proportionate for the mini muffins. Make sure to stir in the chips by hand at the end, rather than add them with other ingredients. You don’t want pulverized chips.
One trick to make your muffins really shine is to sprinkle a few extra chips on the top of each muffin before baking for a nice visual pop.
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Flourless Mini Peanut Butter Chocolate Chip Muffins
Ingredients
- 1 medium ripe banana, peeled
- 1 large egg
- heaping 1/2 cup creamy peanut butter, I recommend using classic storebought peanut butter, and not natural or homemade
- 3 tablespoons honey, agave or maple syrup may be substituted
- 1 tablespoon vanilla extract
- ¼ teaspoon baking soda
- pinch salt, optional and to taste
- heaping 1/2 cup mini semi-sweet chocolate chips
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 400F. Prepare mini muffin pans by spraying very well with floured cooking spray, or grease and flour the pans; set aside. If keeping gluten-free for health reasons, simply use cooking spray or grease the pan.
- To the canister of a blender, add first 7 ingredients, through optional salt, and blend on high speed until smoothy and creamy, about 1 minute.
- Add chocolate chips and stir in by hand; don’t use the blender because it will pulverize them.
- Using a tablespoon or small cookie scoop that’s been sprayed with cooking spray (helps batter slide off spoon or scoop easily), form rounded 1 tablespoon mounds and place mounds into prepared pans. Each cavity should be filled to a solid 3/4 full.
- Bake for 8 to 9 minutes, or until the tops are set, domed, springy to the touch, and a toothpick inserted into the center comes out clean, or with a few moist crumbs, but no batter. Due to their small size and oven variance, make sure to watch your muffins closely, and bake until done. Allow muffins to cool in pans for about 10 minutes, or until they’ve firmed up and are cool enough to handle.
- Muffins are best fresh, but will keep airtight at room temperature for up to 5 days, or in the freezer for up to 4 months.
Nutrition
Nutrition information is automatically calculated, so should only be used as an approximation.
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Flourless Peanut Butter Chocolate Chip Blender Cake — The cake is soft, extremely moist, dense but not heavy, and has bold peanut butter flavor that’s complemented by chocolate.
Flourless Peanut Butter and Chocolate Brownies — These are the fudgiest brownies I’ve ever made, and that’s what happens when there’s no flour.
WOW! I’ve heard of making batters in a blender, but haven’t done it yet (Vitamix sure sells that idea though, haha). It makes total sense to make this in one!! Especially since it doesn’t contain gluten and can’t really get overworked.
Amazing Averie! Love it.
Never even thought about the over-working factor but that’s another selling point here – nothing to worry about!
Fun!!! I’m surprised that they turned out how they did, too! Saving this one! :)
Thanks Sarah!
Such a fun way to make muffins. Love it.
Fantastic! These look perfect. Definitely sending recipe to my sister. I bet the maple syrup would add an interesting new taste component too.
Maple or agave for the honey, you’d be just fine. LMK if she tries them. They’re perfect kiddie snacks :)
I had no idea muffins could be made this way. Awesome recipe, Averie!
Thanks for the nice tweet, too!
Oj now I would have never have thought to do a muffin in a bender and without flour!! So cool, so smart and healthy!! Oh and easy!! Love these Averie! What a great and delicious creations for an easy snack that is healthy and full of banana chocolate goodness!
Just like I had my doubts 5+ yrs ago that flourless pb cookies would work, well, they do, doubts subsided. Still not sure fully how but they do – this is the same – and in a blender is just icing on the cake. Your family could inhale a batch in about 5 mins I think :)
Oh my, I love this! Gotta try ’em, for sure!
These look delish. I just sent this recipe to my friend who is GF and dairy free!
Thanks for sending it to her!
I’m so intrigued by this! I’m definitely pinning this to try later. :)
Thanks for the pin!
I love this idea and appreciate the recipe, but I think it isn’t fair to advertise these muffins as “refined sugar free” and “oil free” when one of the main ingredients contains both. Classic store bought PB such as JIF or Skippy both have added oil and added sugar. I just think it is important to note that, because we often tend to ignore the contents of our packaged and processed foods.
Good point. I wonder if these would work the same with natural peanut butter?
I didn’t add any oil or sugar – I didn’t go dumping in a 1/2 cup of oil or 1 cup of white sugar, which is the way most muffin recipes start out so while of course all processed food may have a certain small amount of additives or other ingredients, I try to look at the big picture and not get bogged down in details. I like to look at the big picture and look for the good in things; not seek to find the small things that may be negatives. I do this in all aspects of life – it’s such a freeing mentally when you shift your mindset to live like this!
Pretty passive aggressive response to a totally fair comment. Common commercial peanut butters are terrible for you. Besides the sugar & soy and canola…etc, they’re totally mold ridden!! It’s perfectly fair for her to
point that out. Passive aggressive is just another form of negativity. I’m sure your recipe is delicious! I’m going to try it with almond butter. :)
It’s not passive-agressive. It’s honest and straightforward. I hope you, her, and everyone enjoys the recipes I create, post, and share; and if you don’t, that’s fine too! Tons of other blogs and online sites. If you think you have a better way, another way to label things, another way that will work out for you, great – go for it!
I don’t think that all commercial nut butters are mold-ridden. If they were, then everyone who eats them be sick or dead from poisoning. Yes, peanuts have aflatoxins but that’s what we have immune systems for and whether you make your own PB or buy storebought, you cannot escape the inherent nature of a peanut and the biochemisty of it (yes for the cookbook I wrote about peanut butter, I am well-versed). Almonds – I just don’t like the taste of AB that much.
Here’s a similar one where the recipe calls for any kind of nut butter (natural or otherwise) with great results from multiple commenters.
https://wholelifestylenutrition.com/recipes/paleo-gluten-free-grain-free-mini-muffins/
Interesting. Uses 2/3 c applesauce and apple cider vinegar. That’s quite a bit different than mine because I used neither but looks like it works.
This ia a brilliant recipe! I can’t believe they are flourless–they look just like a “regular” muffin! I think sometimes my smoothies actually take longer than this by the time I decide what kind to make and then begin the process of tasting and adding this or that to get it just right. If I had a banana right now I would have made these already, but a co-worker brought in a crate of apples from her family’s orchard so I didn’t buy any fruit last week. Hmmm…..these would also be cute, healthy and easy for that party tomorrow!
Paula these are RIGHT up your alley! And too funny about not buying produce this week, of all weeks not to have a banana – but you have tons of homegrown apples, wow! And for your party tomorrow, they’re definitely a healthier alternative but nothing can compete with some of those candy bar /8×8 bars I have made recently with a crowd for oohs and ahhs. These however are so amazing for what they are – I was shocked about the flourless factor too!
I’ve never made muffins with a blender before. These look so moist. I bet they are delicious :)
I’m definitely trying this; it’s almost too good to be true. I couldn’t imagine that a muffin could look so full without flour!
I know, I was pretty shocked too! LMK what you think!
Fascinating, what you can make without flour that seems like it has it. I recently tried a recipe using not much more than pumpkin, eggs an spices that made awesome pancakes.
Ive seen near-flourless pancakes too – especially if you use something thick like pumpkin, Greek yog., cottage cheese even – you can get some amazing results from what I’ve seen, but havent tried.
Muffins in a blender? GENIUS! It really doesn’t get easier than that! Pinned!
Oh and if you lived any closer, I’d totally stop by for a couple of these for breakfast tomorrow.
Thanks for pinning and if you lived closer, I would dump cakes, cookies, pies, bars, etc on you and Jason. I have wayyyyy too much here as it is!
I actually like to make cupcakes and muffins in the blender too! I have recipe for pumpkin ones which you can do a blender. These sounds so amazing, I can not believe how healthy they are.
I can only imagine the taste if that peanut butter was flavoured with cookie dough or honey. Delicious!!
The PB with the honey in these was perfect. I love that combo too!